Sydney, Australia is a city on the move. Or rather, people are moving to Sydney in record numbers. According to the latest census, the former British colony is one of the most popular places on earth for immigrants. Over seventy-five percent of Sydney's annual growth is due to immigrants.
The city is also the most popular destination on the continent for tourists. Each year, Sydney welcomes more than 11 million guests, three million of whom are international visitors. The city has been a popular tourist destination for residents of the UK for decades now.
Unfortunately, tourism has fallen off a bit in the wake of the global recession. Last year alone, international arrivals from the UK declined by more than ten percent. The primary reason for the decline is the high cost of airfares and the fact that Sydney is an extremely expensive city. How about Sydney hotels ?
The one minor boon the decline has had for guests is that it has forced hotels to reduce their rates. The average hotel in Sydney has had to cut room rates by up to ten percent. This goes double for some of the more luxurious hotels in Sydney, which have experienced significant declines over the past three years.
Though the first half of 2010 was flat, industry insiders are predicting a modest increase in international arrivals in the second half of the year. The summer season in particular is extremely popular with guests from the UK, who are expected to travel in greater numbers than they did last year.